CC students compete for classes

Californians are competing for spots in community college classes, reports the Whittier Daily News. In response to state funding cuts, most community colleges have cut class offerings and increased class sizes. Enrollment continues to grow young students look for a lower-cost start to college and unemployed adults seek job skills.

Gil Bozigian, 19, is hoping to capitalize on a fellow student’s misfortune in order to secure a class – any class – at Mount San Antonio College this fall.

Bozigian, a 2010 Baldwin Park High School graduate, has so far been unable to register for core classes in English or mathematics because student demand is greater than class supply. So, he’s going to try to register again on Friday at 12:01 a.m., the minute after student fees come due. Students who miss fee payments lose all their classes, potentially opening up seats for others.

Mt. SAC is the largest of the state’s 112 community colleges with about 69,000 students. The college cut fall classes by 6 percent and expects more cuts in the spring semester. Priorities are basic math, reading and composition and courses needed by students hoping to transfer to a four-year university. Students hoping to graduate in May have priority in the online registration system.

Community College Spotlight is written by Joanne Jacobs. It provides a forum for discussion and debate about America’s community colleges, which are home to nearly half of all college students in the U.S.
Views expressed on the blog are those of Joanne Jacobs and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Hechinger Report or the Hechinger Institute. MORE